All Rise...

Editor's Note

Our review of House (2007), published
April 24th, 2009, is also available.

The Charge

"The girls will wake up…when they are hungry."

Opening Statement

Trust me. Nothing can prepare you for this.

Facts of the Case

There can be no describing the "plot" of Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 cult movie
House (Hausu). One can only describe the setup: a young girl named Oshare
is troubled to discover that her father will be bringing his new girlfriend
along on the family's annual summer vacation. In response, Oshare invites a
group of friends along to visit her aunt, whom she has not seen in years. Though
everything is fun at first, it turns out that Oshare's aunt is some kind of
spirit and her house is haunted. None of the girls are safe.

It would be impossible to say more.

The Evidence

Part comedy, part musical, part haunted-house horror movie, House is
one of the craziest movies you'll ever see. I don't mean "crazy" in a generic,
I-don't-know-what-else-to-call-it way. I mean that House is the work of a
madman. Director Nobuhiko Obayashi (supposedly working from an idea generated by
his 7-year-old daughter) has created a film that has no interest in adhering to
the rules of filmmaking. Or storytelling. Or Earth. It's the kind of movie that
has developed an intense cult following in the 30-plus years since it was
released, and it's easy to see why; immediately after viewing it, you will
absolutely be telling someone else they have to watch it. It's not something
that can be described. It must be seen. Experienced, even.

If you've got the tolerance for it, though, House is a total blast: a
silly, colorful, absurdist dream of a film that's as entertaining as it is manic
and confusing. What makes it work so well is just how fun it is; even in its
darkest, most twisted moments (and this is a movie in which a woman's severed
head comes back to life and bites another girl on the ass), it's light and goofy
and wonderfully inventive. Director Obayashi packs in the old-school visual
effects, and there doesn't seem to be a technique he overlooks—it's clear
that House was as much fun to make as it is to watch. That mixture of
style and tone is likely to turn off many viewers (in case the
narrative—or utter lack thereof—hasn't done so already), who prefer
their abstract, experimental imagery to be more of the Lynchian "nightmare"
variety (Eraserhead and Takashi
Miike's Happiness of the Katakuris were the two movies that kept coming
to mind while watching House). There's plenty of nightmarish imagery in
the film, but it's presented like an upbeat cartoon. That's a disconnect that
not all audiences will be able to take.

Never before available on home video in the U.S., House finally
arrives in a stunning Blu-ray package thanks to the Criterion Collection, still
the gold standard of digital media. The film is presented in its original 1.33:1
full frame aspect ratio in a full 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer, and it looks
terrific. Despite some softness inherent in the source material, the image is
bright and candy-colored and gorgeous and really shows no signs of
aging—any scratches or defects have been scrubbed away, still leaving the
movie with a pleasant, film-like look. The PCM mono audio track is more faithful
than forceful, but I never found it wanting; the dialogue is clear (helped no
doubt by the English subtitles) and balanced well with the movie's wacky,
pervasive musical score. Considering it's making its home video debut,
House gets the royal treatment.

Though not as packed with bonus features as some other Criterion releases,
there's still a good offering of supplemental material on the House
Blu-ray. The best and most significant is a 45-minute retrospective documentary
called "Constructing a House," in which the director, screenwriter and a few
other creative personnel discuss the making of the movie and its legacy. It's an
informative piece, but, better yet, it helps give some background and context to
the movie's madness. Also included is Emotion, a 1966 short film by
Obayashi, "House Appraisal," a four-minute interview with director Ti
West (House of the Devil) about his reaction to and affection for the
movie, plus the film's original trailer and a 26-page booklet containing the
essay "The Housemaidens" by Chuck Stephens.

Closing Statement

A true original is rescued from cult obscurity and receives an excellent
hi-def treatment. Disembodied legs dance around while a cat laughs. A critic
smiles and scratches his head.

The Verdict

Not guilty?

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Did we give House (1977) (Blu-ray) Criterion Collection a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.